Day of shame
Yesterday was a day of shame for New Zealand as the Government announced its decision to send SAS troops to Afghanistan.
We are once again committing the SAS to the illegal occupation (it was never sanctioned by the United Nations) of a country by foreign troops which have lost the war morally and are losing militarily. Our troops will be there to prop up a vicious regime of warlords and drug runners who have no legitimacy to run the country.
In saying this I'm not holding a candle for the Taliban, whose religious zealotry has no progressive side. It has gained credibility and influence over the past four decades simply because of the presence of foreign troops - first from the Soviet invasion of 1979 and most recently the eight-year invasion and occupation by the US with New Zealand support.
All manner of people from within and without the country have joined the Taleban to fight the foreign occupiers. The Taliban has been strengthened by the presence of foreign troops. The country has changed from terrorist haven to terrorist incubator in the time New Zealand soldiers have been there.
With this background, John Key's claim our troops are going to Afghanistan to help fight the war on terrorism is a sick joke. We are helping create terrorists with our presence. In the eight years since New Zealand joined the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan that country has been plunged into violence and chaos for which New Zealand shares responsibility.
In previous SAS deployments New Zealand troops handed over "suspects" they captured to the American forces who tortured and often murdered their captives. Former prime minister Helen Clark was called on to join the condemnation of the murder of two Afghans in US custody when their cases were publicised a few years back. Helen Clark turned a blind eye, as did our SAS. One SAS soldier is quoted saying "we sort of knew what would happen to the prisoners, Americans being Americans".
We are signatories to the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1984 UN Convention against Torture, which prohibit degrading, humiliating or torturing prisoners and from transferring them to countries which do so. And yet this is precisely what our troops did. The bravery of Willie Apiata was paraded by the government but the gutlessness of the SAS closing its eyes to the Geneva Convention was ignored.
John Key tells us any suspects this time will be handed over to Afghan authorities and he tells us he has been given assurances they will be well treated. Those assurances are worthless. This is the regime which suffocated hundreds of suspects in containers and which uses torture and murder as its modus operandi. The assurances given to Key are a pathetic figleaf to enable him to plausibly lie to the New Zealand public.
There is no place for New Zealand troops or our provincial reconstruction team. Afghanistan needs money to help rebuild and this should be channelled through non-governmental organisations. The $180 million spent so far on reconstruction could have stretched a lot further if it wasn't spent on NZ soldiers doing this work on the other side of the world.
Our involvement in Afghanistan is to please the US and support its foreign policy objectives. It is an expense to New Zealand both financially and in increased insecurity as we are seen to join the US imperial adventure in Afghanistan.
It's a shameful decision.
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I agree John. Thank you for writing this. Watch for the Chest-beaters to come out in response to this.
As much as I hate doing so, I have to agree with John. Bugger!
Thank goodness John can sit in his safe armchair in NZ and write without being shot for criticising the government. He wouldn't last long under the Taliban regime...
It's not about Afghanistan, it's about maintaining a US military presence in the region. With China growing in strength, the USA needs to keep it in check militarily, to maintain control over vital oil resources and keep them out of Chinese hands. This is also beneficial for NZ.
Oh the red necks will be laying into him for sure. They may think they're being clever but actually it's the sort of thing that makes me embarrassed to be a New Zealander. Keep up the good work John - you're never afraid to tell it how it is!
Nice one Minto. Jump up on your Bleeding Heart Liberalist soapbox once more and spout a pile of mis-informed tripe. Perhaps you should take another one of you little jaunts overseas and pop into Kabul. Whilst your there, have a chat to the locals who are over the moon at the foreign aid try to rid their country of the Taliban. While your at it, have a chat with one of the Taliban.
There has never been any question about the legality or otherwise of this war. This war was instigated when the dear old Taliban refused to hand over a certain maniac they were harbouring, you know that one that organised the destruction of a couple of buildings and the wiping out of nearly 3,000 innocent folk in one swoop - with Taliban help and protection. Far from being a chest beater, I'm concerned for the future of my child and her children. If the Taliban maintain any sort of foothold, that future is under threat. But that's OK John. I'm sure if we did everything your way, we'll all be just fine - pint of Tui anyone?
Typical comment by a "concientious objector" who would rather be subjugated by terrorists than stand up to them. Thank god there are people prepared to die for freedom. The real shame here is that the Minto's of this world dont have the guts to stand against terrorism in a way that will diminish suffering.
Hey Minto the minnow...look at today's opinion @ 10.39am - only 23.3% against NZ going to the conflict, we are in a demoncracy and supposedly the majority rules, seems all you do is go for the minnows EVERY TIME. I can't believe FairFax give you the time of day, I don't!
Afghanistan needs money to rebuild, but there's no place for our provincial reconstruction team?
so you'd rather just funnel the money striaght to the corupt government, warlords, drug lords, Taleban chiefs direct?
Yes us "red necks" will have a field day with this because once again john minto, as spokesman for eth extreme left (as much a zealot as the Taleban as far as I'm concerned) would have us stick our heads in the sand and do nothing.
We are lucky to have wealth and safety - but hey, let's not actually do anything to keep it that way!
For evil to prosper all it takes is good men to do nothing - and John would have us do nothing forever.
Perhaps the war in Afghanistan will fester for ages - but you know something? It'll be worse if we don't do anything at all.
Shame on Minto and the do nothing left!
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"the illegal occupation (it was never sanctioned by the United Nations)" LOL, the UN achieves nothing once again.